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The Plaguing of Northrend (Campaign)
The Plaguing of Northrend was a spontaneous mini-campaign, taking place shortly after the events of Hive. Following a period of relative prosperity and peace in Outland after the horrific events of the World Breaker plot, tensions between the colonies finally began to erupt following the discovery of new sources of Blacklight. A decision was made by AAC and Lupaia to venture into the unexplored frozen land in the north of Outland, Northrend, in hopes of mapping out the land and perhaps searching for more sources of Blacklight. Other nations quickly followed, and eventually seven small expedition teams began individually searching the land for hidden treasures and secrets. There, they would discover many dangers - the worst of which was the abundance of the infamous Blacklight Virus that had caused chaos a few months earlier. However, some of the expedition teams would eventually find themselves wrapped up in the middle of a plot to control and mutate the virus - a plan hatched by one of the feared Four Horsemen, Cayden Masher. Despite involving a relatively short story, The Plaguing of Northrend was the first campaign to feature Operatives as the primary protagonists, as apose to Avengers or Outlaws. Part One Following their arrival in Northrend, the expedition teams individually began to encounter strange occurances. Commercial cruise liners, each containing roughly three hundred people, were being dumped in Northrend somehow in an effort to feed hosts to the ravenous Black Flu, increasing the danger of the virus tenfold. In addition, evidence was discovered that a mysterious 'king of the north' known as Harbinger was conducting dangerous research on the virus. The natives of Northrend, timid tribesmen who spoke little english, claimed that Harbinger had made a deal with the Four Horsemen. Paddy was the first to come into conflict with Harbinger, quickly discovering the 'king's' physical power whilst his indentity remained a secret. Nightingale, meanwhile, discovered evidence of another man - a strange but oddly well dressed gentleman who seemed to be gathering evidence and potential research for the Virus, possibly in league with Harbinger. As the expeditions explored Northrend further, discovering both incredible dangers and wonderful treasures, it was Nightingale and Violet Bloodstone who came into conflict with Harbinger next. Bloodstone was near beaten to death by Harbinger. Harbinger responded by herding a large group of infected into AAC's basecamp, and despite Nightingale and Bloodstone's best efforts, the base was overrun and the survivors executed in a spectacularly gory fashion. Bloodstone and Nightingale discovered Harbinger was attempting to 'map out' the whole of Outland to target it, for some unknown weapon presumably relating to the virus. When they destroyed Harbinger's progress, he responded by blowing Lupaia's basecamp apart and then riding to destroy AAC's second base. Bloodstone and Nightingale were approached by the 'well dressed' gentleman, as Dalanian Operative Sashor Montras prepared a trap to bury Harbinger. However, things took a turn for the worst when the well dressed gentleman revealed himself to be none other than Ruaumoko, the World Breaker, and Harbinger was in fact Cayden Masher - two of the Four Horsemen. Part Two Montras' trap ultimately failed to killed Cayden, having severely underestimated the super-soldier's power. Montras fought Cayden to keep him from killing the Dalanian expedition team. Montras was ultimately defeated and left buried under snow. Ruaumoko revealed to Bloodstone and Nightingale that Cayden planned to use both his and Ruaumoko's powers to lower the temperature in Outland, thereby allowing the virus to spread. Ruaumoko, however, was delaying the process in an attempt to test Cayden and prepare him for a future war. Bloodstone and Nightingale managed to save Montras from freezing to death, but Cayden escaped unharmed. Ruaumoko then returned, revealing that Cayden's priorities had changed - the horseman of War now aimed to eliminate the various expedition teams, who were hampering his progress. Ruaumoko promised to remain absent from the conflict, claiming that Cayden was refusing the demi-god's assistance. Bloodstone hatched a plan - she sent a small splinter group out of Outland in search of a criminal known as Purple Python; a crimelord of mysterious origin, previously connected with Jim Moriarty. Bloodstone hinted that she wished to summon Melissa Anderson, the only person in the world truely capable of being Cayden's equal in combat. Ruaumoko, perhaps forseeing this plan, had already visited Anderson however and crippled her, leaving her in hospital in critical condition and making sure the expeditions were alone in their war. Paddy managed to locate Cayden tending to his wounds and attacked him. The two engaged in a furious fist fight, and the battle was costly for Kaneland's expedition. Paddy was eventually defeated, but Cayden spared his life under instruction from Ruaumoko. It brought into light another question - why would Ruaumoko want the expeditions to be kept alive at all? Cayden briefly suggested that he was 'doing this for you Ruaumoko', suggesting an unknown element to Cayden's plan... Part Three Confrontations between Cayden and the Expedition teams escalated, to the point where they were practically in open war. Still, assistance from the outside world was impossible to get, due to Cayden's snowstorm surrounding the land. Ruaumoko, who so far had given the expedition teams two seperate stories as to their 'purpose' there, perhaps to confuse them, continued to appear every now and then and offer cryptic and downright non-sensical advice to the teams. Eventually, the infected began to die - Cayden's work on the virus was completed, despite the expedition teams best efforts to stop it, but the effect of the virus was supposed to 'enhance' the infected, not kill them. It was revealed, however, that every person the virus killed made Ruaumoko stronger. Eventually, Cayden amassed a big enough supply of dead that he could return Ruaumoko to his full power - the ressurection, a large pillar of fire that shot into the sky, could be seen throughout the whole of Outland, and Ruaumoko had finally returned to his full strength. Things got steadily worse when the Steel Tide began flooding into Outland from an unknown source. The Machine God was spotted amongst them, and it was suspected that Moriarty had used the UN's Blacklight supply to build their own Gate. The expedition teams were powerless to stop the Four Horsemen uniting in Northrend and, eventually, would lead a bloody crusade that would leave Outland in ruins. However, there was one silver lining. Bloodstone's gamble, an attempt to bring the Outlaws to Northrend, proved sucessful. Cayden fought the Outlaws and, though he had the upper hand, was eventually defeated. Despite losing an arm, however, he survived the attack. The events following marked the first rise of the Four Horsemen, and the first steps of their plan would follow. Category:Campaigns